The Ellora Caves
These were some of the first pictures I had developed upon returning from India last December. I remember wrinkling my nose at them, because I did not think that they adequately captured the carved magnificence and structural awesomeness of the ancient
Ellora temples.
I took a second look at them recently, and realized that even if they could not convey how truly impressed I was with this famous place, I should still share them.
These caves were home to a string of temples where Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists co-existed harmoniously.
The group's tour guide walked us to the far end of the complex and we worked our way back. I had a tendency to lag behind with my camera, which kind of annoyed the tour guides, I think. *shrugs*
This is the main structure, an ornate temple carved into the side of this hill, probably about three stories tall, at least. Look toward the lower left hand corner to see the people and get an idea of scale. Imagine walking up the hill itself and around the back of the temple and looking down on it, which is what some of us did. My only issue was the guys following us to hawk tour books, when I needed to watch my footing!
Another picture of the temple, from a closer perspective, as we were hiking up the hill.
A detail of the temple carvings.
Guardians on a lotus on top of the main temple chamber.
The complexity of the structure is still breathtaking to me even now, based only on pictures and memories.
A detailed carving from inside the temple complex at ground level. The delicate quality of this ancient sculpture remains apparent even today.
Celestial beings flying above us are a universal archetype.
Unusual columns
Wall of dieties
posted by Lydia at 11:03 AM
